A Descriptive Case Study of Eighth-Grade Striving Readers’ Motivation and Resiliency: Their Perceptions of Teachers’ Care, Expectations, and Opportunities
Date
2020
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Florida Southern College
Abstract
This mixed-methods study was designed to examine teacher behaviors relating to care, expectations, and opportunities in the reading classroom. Additionally, the study aimed to determine whether teacher behaviors related to striving readers’ “feelings of autonomy, competency, and relatedness” in their literacy instruction. A sample of seven eighth grade students were interviewed on their perceptions of teacher care, high expectations, and ongoing opportunities for participation regarding their reading instruction. The interview questions were constructed based on Zhao and Li’s (2016) context-specific measurement tool. Furthermore, they completed the Motivation for Reading Questionnaire (Wigfield & Guthrie, 1997), which assesses 11 constructs of reading motivation. This study measured 7 of 11 constructs reading: curiosity, reading compliance, reading challenges, reading efficacy, recognition for reading, reading involvement, and social reasons for reading.
As an inductive approach was used, there were frequent or significant themes that emerged after analysis of the interview transcripts. The two frequent themes found relating to students’ perception of caring behaviors were having a positive tone and checking in with students. The three frequent themes found relating to students’ perceptions of high expectations were reading challenges, compliments/positive feedback, and work completion. Furthermore, there were two frequent themes found relating to students’ perceptions of having ongoing opportunities for participation, which were reviewing/scaffolding material and one-on-one instruction. Lastly, the bivariate correlational analysis revealed a positive correlation between reading curiosity and the number of reported caring behaviors, r=.76, p=.046. There was a position correlation between reading challenges and high expectations, r=.78, p=.04.
Description
Dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership in the School of Education at Florida Southern College by Brittany Goldman.
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Keywords
Reading instruction, Educational leadership, Middle school education
Citation
Goldman, B. (2020). A Descriptive Case Study of Eighth-Grade Striving Readers’ Motivation and Resiliency: Their Perceptions of Teachers’ Care, Expectations, and Opportunities (Order No. 27996280). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global: The Humanities and Social Sciences Collection. (2416860474). https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/descriptive-case-study-eighth-grade-striving/docview/2416860474/se-2